Did a suicide trip with Shavi to Vegas, so I could surprise the wife. Thanks Shavi for being the real MVP.
The road to Vegas from Orange County.
Met up with Nick and Jeremy for Baby Stacks.
How Shavi looks after driving 4 hours. Check out that bokeh in the back.
Adobo Fried Rice.
Got back to Shavi’s house and checked out what Shavi’s working on for the M30.
Amazing that it can move at this height.
Vertex and camber forever.
-NGUMINH
Not too long ago I was looking for a second car to be my fun daily driver since driving the MS3 around was getting a little annoying to take to certain places, and it was limiting the amount customization I could be doing to the car itself. So, my search took me to Craig’s List, where I was looking for anything within my budget of below $2000.00 USD. In the end, I got the most unlikely car I was looking for, a 1991 Infiniti M30 coupe for less than $900.00.
The reason this car stood out to me was the body lines (basically the way it looked), the v6 motor, rear wheel drive, somewhat decent reliability, and the fact that it was compatible with many other Nissan parts from other models. Oh yeah and for the price (way below the budget) of the potential this car has was pretty worth it as well.
This is kind of a rare car being that it was one of the first Infiniti cars in North America, and about only about 6,000 coupes and 6,000 convertibles were made through the production years; 1990-1992. It is basically just a rebadged Nissan Leopard in Japan though, and shares similarities with the Nissan Z-chassis, R-chassis, Y-chasiss, and S-chassis. Because of that, I entered a world of mixing and matching parts.
Finding information was a definite mission with the downfall of forums, and the rise of social media, especially Facebook groups are to blame for that. First up was a 5 lug conversion and S13 coilover conversion. This pretty much meant upgrading most of the front suspension, which is straight forward plug and play, while the rear suspension had more modifications.
Front Suspension:
-S13 Powered By Max Competition front coilovers 5″ 30k
-S14 modified knuckles
-S14 stock 5 lug hubs
-S14 Duralast 5 lug brake rotors
-M30 stock brake calipers
-M30 Duralast brake pads
-S14 stock lower control arms
-GKTECH S14/S15 40mm roll center correction kit
-S14 MOOG outer tie rod ends
-Maxima MOOG inner tie rods
-S14 ISIS Pro tension rods
Rear Suspension:
-S13 Powered By Max Competition rear coilovers 5″ 22k
-Z31 5 lug rear stub axles
-Z32 Duralast 5 lug brake rotors
-Z32 stock brake calipers
-Z32 Duralast brake pads
Some of the main front suspension components.
The beautiful Powered By Max Competition coilovers. These are meant for S13, but with the right pieces and tweaks they should mount to the M30.
The front will mount with all the arms and knuckles. The rear will only be able to mount with modifying the M30 rear towers to match the S13 mounting points for the S13 top hats.
The stiffness.
The front coilovers maxed out with all the collars still placed at the top. Really short.
Added some paint onto certain items for protection and style.
Common on Nissan/Infiniti models for there to be wiring harness above the wheel well. This wiring harness above the driver side wheel well was labeled, cut, tucked, soldered, sleeved, and reloomed away inside and around the driver side front shock towers.
There was about 200 wires that needed attention after being cut and tucked inside the engine bay.
The biggest cock block for wanting to be low and somewhat functional.
Tucked inside the engine bay.
Also rerouted the hood latch cable inside the engine bay as well. Results are a worry free area to go low and run meatier tires.
The front was straight to the point, but required additional modifications to fix the roll center and tracking.
Because I was converting from 4 lug to 5 lug, this also meant that I needed wheels. After some research I found the appropriate wheel sizing I wanted to give the car. I went from the stock 4×114.3 wheels of 15×6.5 +20 to 5×114.3 15×10 +/-0. And of course did all that fender magic.
These are Vision 521 Nitro 15×10 +/- 0 with 205/50/15 tires all around.
The rear required new mounting points for the S13 top hats, Z31 rear 5 lug stub hubs, custom Z31 to M30 axle flanges, Z32 Duralast rear brake rotors, Z32 stock brake calipers, and Z32 Duralast brake pads.
Eventually, the whole rear end will be taken out to be replaced by S14 rear subframe and arms, but that isn’t until a later time.
Thanks. @shaviw
On the late train for Throwback Thursday or Flashback Friday, we have my photos from the weekend in San Jose, CA for Wekfest San Jose 2015.
Minh’s neck was still broken from when he saw it coming down the street.
Its good to be clean.
The red FTP (fuck the police) snapback hat available on http://shop.royal-origin.com/
This will also be available in a black colorway.
The Royal Origin script snapback also available on http://shop.royal-origin.com/
Aron and Jaycray having a lovely time cleaning up Aron’s M35.
Jaycray’s Lexus RC350 on Vip Modular wheels. Looking forward to seeing what this will look like by the end of the year.
Kevin’s Honda S2000 on Gram Lights. Just so good. Lowcool.
Ended up checking out the pool on the coast. Pretty.
And found a caving leading into a lost world.
These two went through some of the shittest roads of San Francisco to get to this scenic location.
The Simple & True t-shirt in black. Available on http://shop.royal-origin.com/
The red FTP (fuck the police) snapback hat available on http://shop.royal-origin.com/
The Simple & True t-shirt in black. Available on http://shop.royal-origin.com/
Its all part of the little details.
My first rolling shot photos. Not bad.
Just stopped by Neptunes to remove the painters tape.
It was finally here, the weekend of the Enjoy Sin car meet with HNRS. We’ve been counting the days, minutes and seconds to finally spend some good quality time with friends and family. One of my favorite things to take photos of during this event is the caravan to Vegas, it’s just such a thrill to see a bunch of modified cars cruising together on the freeway. This post will be mostly rolling shots of the caravan.
Jeff looking mighty dapper this early.
Erik and Nimo trying to get dabber themselves.
UNDERWATER SQUAD.
Ryo’s Q45 rolling static on Koenig Monsters.
New member Aron’s M35 on Weds Bazerias.
Jaycray’s brand spanking new RC350 with it’s first road trip. Glad that we were apart of it.
The biggest surprise on the trip was Adam taking his S13. Glad to see it made the trip without any problems.
Kentaro rolling through with the most reliable car here.
Marq was hesitant about taking his 7 series to Vegas because of some transmission problems, but he ended up making it there with no problems and he only used half a tank to get from Cali to Vegas. Quite impressive for a big body BMW.
Ryan Gold’s bright ass EVO was fun to shoot for rolling shots. Ryan made the trek with us all the way from Santa Barbara.
This year we had faster cars in this caravan, but we paced it pretty well so Vu and I could get some good rolling shots of the caravan. Thanks Ashton for not going 0 to 130 real quick.
Another speed demon, Phat and his Cayman S.
Jeff’s WRX was my camera car and he did a great job catching up to everyone and pacing the car so I could get the best shots.
Robros Customs let Vinh drive the STI to the meet. The wrap looked great in the sun.
Derek pulled an all nighter to get his car ready for this trip. He spent the whole night wrapping his front end just to look decent for the meet.
Kevin’s S2000 was looking great now that it looks pretty much complete with his hardtop.
One of the lowest cars in the caravan was boss man, Jimmy’s Civic. He was literally scraping his diffuser all the way to Vegas.
Jimmy did a public service and picked up all the trash on the freeway.
The second camera car with Vu in the passenger seat.
This year Erik and his EP3 joined us in the caravan to Vegas. His car looks freaking ridiculous when it’s rolling
Gas station stop.
Jimmy couldn’t make it up the drive way, so he parked in the streets.
We finally made it to our first destination, the M Resort where they have a good deal for lunch at the Studio B buffet. It’s been a tradition that we hit this buffet first before doing anything else in Vegas.
Sparkle’s M3 our Taiwan dealer of Royal Origin and HOODRATstuff also joined us in the caravan. Sucks, we missed his car for a rolling shot.
EVO booty.
Jesus, we made it.
Shavi leading the squad.
For the first time, we beat the rush for the buffet. Vinh and John excited to stuff their faces.
Looks like heaven.
Japan x Taiwan x Vietnam.
After the buffet, we went to check in at the house we rented. The driveway was so large that it could have fit all of our cars, too bad some of us couldn’t make it up the driveway.
Neel is now a Vegas local and met up with us as soon as we arrived.
Safe and sound.
The house was pretty awesome, large enough for all of us and it had so many activities like this gaming room.
Tina excited for some pool.
Ryan sucks at shuffle board.
This will be empty by tomorrow.
Current events meeting aka deciding where we’re going to go eat.
Angelo, the leader of the RO offroad edition.
That’s it for today, the next post will be coverage of the meet!
It’s insane how much sleep you lose when preparing your car for an event, whether it’s a track day or just a car meet. Making your car up to your expectations takes quite a bit of time and effort. Most of the crew had to get their car ready for our annual Royal Origin meet in Las Vegas. Not only did they have to get the car ready to floss, but they had to get it ready for a four hour trek into the desert.
Ryo, one of the crazier guys in our group had to get his fenders pulled and space our his rear wheels, so it doesn’t rub against the frame anymore.
Crazy, how he’s planning to drive this car to Vegas.
Meanwhile, I was just playing around putting my Work CR-Kai’s on my SC. Doesn’t look that bad in my opinion.
Air master Vinh was trying to put together his air suspension for his STI.
The pieces to a very complicated puzzle.
Vinh’s garage buddy, Bryan’s M5 on DPE wheels.
Since the SC got some wheels now, I decided to put the Meisters back on my IS for the meet.
Damn, I miss driving around like a boss.
Speaking of bosses, Kevin from Boss Company came by to hang out with his LS400.
Sadly, this car will be sold soon..
More of Ryo’s Q45.
Dem camber specs tho..
The master teaching the student.
Decided to practice light painting again and well it didn’t come out that great. It was most likely because it wasn’t dark enough and the amber lights didn’t help either.
I wasn’t trying to be artistic and deep with the black and white. The only way this photos would come out decent if it were in black and white…
More behind the scenes coming soon… Probably tomorrow.
It’s crazy to think that the last time I was at Autocon was 3 years ago. Time flies by fast, one day you’re complaining about car shows the next day you’re helping host one. It has really changed my perspective of car shows and now I fully understand the stress and headaches of running a car show. I apologize for what I’ve said back in 2011 about this show. I was young, dumb and a wreckless keyboard warrior. Even though apologies are way too late now, I hope this picture of a sad chocolate Labrador will make up for it.
The morning started like every other car show, early as fuck roll in. The process for check in was pretty quick and we got set up within 20 minutes of checking in.
Hundreds of cars were pouring in through this gate. I hate commenting on about cars because all I can really say is what kind of car it is and what wheels it has. So, I’ll just comment here and there if I really have something interesting to say.. which is never.
I want this diffuser bad.
So many Lambos at the 88 Rotors booth. That whole section was money.
Mismatched wheels? You’re totally going to lose some style points when the judges come around.
Aired up and still a lot of camber. VIP cars from Royal Flush.
Man what I would do for a set of any of these wheels… The things I would do..
Johnne keeping his Infinite wheels clean.
Johnne’s E60.
Infinite Wheel Werks.
These Volk ZE40s are on point.
Ryan Gold’s EVO X now on some Enkei RS05RR and a nice wrap.
Lexus Prius?
Instantly became my favorite MR2 because of the deep dish Work Equips.
Marcus Cooke’s supremely clean G35 now on Air Lift. Height looks the same to me when it was static, but a mm of clearance makes all the difference to the driver.
Car show people are serious. If only they kept their homes as clean as their cars. Am I right ladies?
I believe this is a Mini Cooper truck? This thing rocks.
Mr. OC Food and Drink Specialist, Mr. Armand Pranadi.
Man this 370z is so cool. I only saw it during the roll in and it kinda just disappeared from there.
I don’t know why, but I really dig this photo.
A line up of quality builds.
How many years of being a hooker will get me this car?
This guy is taking all the compact cars/Euro awards this year.
What I love best about swinging by Todd’s xB.
What I love about a group of guys taking photos of models. They’re never in unison when looking at the same camera.
Tianna Gregory…
Toyo Tire girls.
People were very impressed with the JDM Chemicals products. Check them out here..www. jdmchemicals.com
Reppin’
Vinh showing Infinite Werks the Glaco Mirror Water Repellent. This stuff works.
Seeing if they got any good up skirt photos.
Anh said he was planning out his next Disneyland meal.
Super cross faded Chris.
As always more photos in the gallery.
-NGU ASS
I feel like I’ve been covering Formula Drift Long Beach for a while now. Not much has changed, maybe different cars but the same vibe. Seems like every year I get less and less content because I end up having other priorities on my plate. This year it was the first time I was working with a company that had a booth in the vendor aisle. So my deepest apologies if there isn’t that many photos. Just kidding, I don’t really care what you think. Enjoy the photos though.
The trance style lives on through Angelo’s Z.
The Barney mobile.
Thao coming out hard with the new Cosmic Racing wheels.
The talk of the show. Static FRS with superb fitment from Street Faction.
This car is so hot we needed to put a water bottle in front of the car to cool it down.
Now for some bad quality photos of some drifting..
Back to the vendor lifestyle…
Me and Vinh doing work at the JDM Chemicals booth.
Todd’s Minty XB. His first time at Formula Drift Long Beach. I’m glad I was there to share this special moment with him.
Mike’s crazy GS300 front bumper from Thailand I think.
BMW of the year.
The show area was packed full of fan boys.
Styling on you fools.
Very clean Audi on 3SDM wheels.
RWD DAILOW.
NSX from last night.
The amazing Boogs.
Baller ass wheels..
Back to more crappy drifting photos…
Vendor village.
A cop posing for this guy’s Subaru. We should stop hiring models and just bring out the whole PD. They seem to get more media attention haha.
Started with Angelo’s Z and ending it with his Z. Because I can.
-NGUASS
Wekfest Long Beach was one of the most anticipated car shows that I have been waiting for. One reason was because I was planning to show my car, and another reason was because I knew it would bring out the best of the best that SoCal has to offer.
I was hoping to have a lot done on my car for Wekfest, but time was not on my side. I was really busy with school, trying to get ready for finals, and work took up all my time on the weekends, so I ended up not changing anything. I did add one big piece of information, and that is my car is for sale. That was the main reason why I wanted to show my car at Wekfest. I wanted to promote it and let everyone know that it’s for sale. But enough about my car and me, and onto the show. Wekfest was spectacular like always. I felt like it was better organized than last year. We did not have to wait a long time to get our cars into the show, and the parking situation was well-planned and organized. The finest cars came out and displayed what they had. I noticed that the VIP style is very popular this year, and is becoming something very main stream. There were also a lot of nice functional cars on display ranging from Subie track cars to tracked out Civics. The styles of builds were endless.
On to the pictures!
I started off on the asphalt, where all the vendor cars were, and the first thing that caught my eye was this crazy Honda Insight. That is definitely the best-looking hybrid I have ever seen!
William Lee of Night Import hosted a meet. Shavi, Minh, and I decided to go check it out. We thought that it would have a crazy turn-out, but what we encountered last night was much more than we anticipated. Lines and crowds of people were in the structure that the meet was held at. It was like swimming in a sea of people.
It seriously felt like we were in the Tokyo Drift movie, getting ready to drift in between pillars. The crazy thing was, we got there when the meet was already dying down. Will told us that earlier, cars were coming in from every direction, and that he was so sure that cops were going to end it. Luckily, no cops showed up, and the meet was a success. (more…)
